'Motor Sport' magazine

Ah, I feel a bit better if it isn't a well-known fact that only I had missed!

I do not recall any earth moving servicing outlets in NM. It isn't a very industrial area, more a dormitory suburb for commuters. And today, it is Little Seoul. Most of NM is close to the Kingston By-Pass which loops around it. The area that it might be is between Blagdon and Burlington Roads which used to have scrap yards and such. If it was there, it makes it worse for me as I went along Blagdon Road twice a day to and from school without knowing that McLaren were there! Grateful for any more detail!

To claim your free issue of Motor Sport, please call us on 020 7349 8472 or e-mail us at subscriptions@motorsportmagazine.co.uk, quoting fbissue with your contact details and we will dispatch your free issue!

Seems like a good offer, considering it retails for £4.95 here in the UK...

Seems like a good offer, considering it retails for £4.95 here in the UK...

Unfortunately the offer of a free issue is no longer available. However, you can still take advantage of receiving 15 issues for the price on 12 at £46 by following the same URL. MS http://www.motorspor....co.uk/fbissue/

Unfortunately the offer of a free issue is no longer available. However, you can still take advantage of receiving 15 issues for the price on 12 at £46 by following the same URL. MS http://www.motorspor....co.uk/fbissue/

The perennial question from disgruntled long-term UK subscribers.

Why is every single one of these Motor Sport offers aimed only at new subscribers ? When are you going to do something that benefits and says an appreciative "Thank you!" to your faithful long-termers, many of whom have been renewing year after year for as long as they can remember ?

Why is every single one of these Motor Sport offers aimed only at new subscribers ? When are you going to do something that benefits and says an appreciative "Thank you!" to your faithful long-termers, many of whom have been renewing year after year for as long as they can remember ?

I feel the same Rob- I've always been tempted to lapse & re-subscribe with a better offer. Which reminds me of another thing - on the podcast when they do the sales bit. I'm always put off by the thought of a free widget shammy umbrella that go with the new subscriptions.

Why is every single one of these Motor Sport offers aimed only at new subscribers ? When are you going to do something that benefits and says an appreciative "Thank you!" to your faithful long-termers, many of whom have been renewing year after year for as long as they can remember ?

I concur.

I would lap up the opportunity of paying £46 for 15 issues, but my current subscription period expires towards the end of the year, by which time such promo will probably have vanished.

I'm happy to say that we are currently in the process of bringing all our subscription management in house and the higher level of control this gives us has offered the chance to completely overhaul our renewal and subscription policies. Various possible benefits to existing subscribers are being considered, all of equal value to, if not better than, those offered to new subscribers.

These renewal offers will be rolling out over the few months or so. As ever, any feedback is gratefully received - we do listen and try to respond as much as we can.

Cara

Motor Sport Magazine

I hope nobody is going to get too excited about the faint prospect of a deal for existing subscribers that at least matches what newcomers are currently being offered. The hopes of some of us were raised more than a year ago by what appeared to be an 'official' Motor Sport post, but nothing at all happened. This fairly minor, though disproportionally irritating inequity remains. I suspect that none of us has been forced into making economies in food on the table etc, to continue receiving the magazine, but this isn't the way to treat loyal customers of long standing.

Thinking about this subscription malarkey for one minute though... I'm paying for my annual subscription by credit card. I don't believe it auto-renews, does it? So I'll just bag me whatever 'incentive' is doing the rounds when it's time to cough up again.

A deafening silence this month! However, as seems to be becoming a regular thing, I am wondering about a couple of things from the latest edition.

Firstly, in the marvellous photos from the 1959/60 Le Mans races, there are those famous sand banks. Were these put in place just for the race weekend and then removed? And how effective were they? Judging from the Frazer Nash beached on one, they did work.

Secondly, in the Parting Shot picture from Monaco, there are some bits of equipment in the background, probably fire fighting gear. It appears to be on the race track side of the Armco at St Devote. Was this the case, or is it just the angle of teh shot and in fact the gear is out of the line of fire. Any thoughts.

That thread started here (by me) and was detached by a thoughtful Moderator.
It seemed much more important to a thread on Motor Sport than the endless debate about subscription copies' delivery, but probably a separate thread was a Good Idea.
It is important to remember that during The Bod's Editorship MS was a news magazine and WB's excursions into motoring history were an extra. That's why many of us find a set of MS for the period up to about 1995 such a useful reference/research tool.

That thread started here (by me) and was detached by a thoughtful Moderator.It seemed much more important to a thread on Motor Sport than the endless debate about subscription copies' delivery, but probably a separate thread was a Good Idea.It is important to remember that during The Bod's Editorship MS was a news magazine and WB's excursions into motoring history were an extra. That's why many of us find a set of MS for the period up to about 1995 such a useful reference/research tool.

I have used Motor Sport as my principle reference source and comfort for more years than I care to remember. Flicking back I find coffee and alcohol stains and food smears across road tests and race reports and can instantly recall when, where and why. Where ever I have lived my Motor Sports have always been there. Whatever the cover price, it's worth every penny.

I bought my first copy of Motor Sport in early 1962 and apart from some six or so issues I missed whilst on ''The Hippie Trail" between London and Sydney via Kabul, Calcutta, Kathmandu, Bangkok and Singapore in 1972, I have not missed one since. When living in the UK I would get them from the newsagent on, if I recall correctly, the first or second day of the month (Remember the editorial page carried the statement 'PUBLICATION DATE FIRST OF MONTH' immediately above 'MATTERS OF MOMENT'?).

Since being in Oz, I have tended to order them from my local newsagent to be delivered with the paper, since most newsagents don't routinely take Motor Sport and if so, they only order one or two copies. The point being that I've been a reader for close to 50 years without becoming a subscriber. When Motor Sport began to focus more on history and less on current events from, what was it, the mid nineties, there seemed less reason to ensure prompt delivery to the other side of the globe and any inclination I might have had to take out a subscription was dampened by the frequent whining and wailing in this thread about the torpidity of the subscription service.

Very recently, though, an excellent subscription offer combined with the heart warming (from my direction) Australian dollar/Sterling rate* prompted me to subscribe for the first time. So I was highly delighted that having sent off the order on the evening of Sunday 26 July, the August issue arrived in my post office box on the morning of Thursday July 7, very ironically, the day the we lost WB.

I call that splendid service and all the more noteworthy since the June issue only arrived from the newsagent the day before!

Have other Antipodean subscribers been experiencing this kind of delivery timeframe?

*An Aussie dollar is currently buying me around 67 pence. Many are the times I've visited the 'folks back home' with an agonising exchange rate of a lousy 35 to 40 pence for my hard earned buck!

I have used Motor Sport as my principle reference source and comfort for more years than I care to remember. Flicking back I find coffee and alcohol stains and food smears across road tests and race reports and can instantly recall when, where and why. Where ever I have lived my Motor Sports have always been there. Whatever the cover price, it's worth every penny.

I feel the same way. MS was fairly rare down under during its great years, but I first came across it in 1974 , bought the odd issue (It was horrendously expensive in Australia) and wondered what I had found. The journalism was very different to that I was used to in the Australian rags, and different again to the two quality Amercian magazines (Car & Driver and Road & Track) that I had grown up on because dad had subscriptions.

I quickly came to appreciate the DSJ mentality; Like DSJ I like nothing more than delving into a heap of racing car chassis numbers! WB took a bit longer but I got there with him too. I became so attached to MS that I set out to put a set together from the year of my birth, so many packages from UK and several personal trips later, I have a full set 1956-current. The new magazine is different but I know why it had to happen and I like that now too.

On one trip back from England I shipped several hundred copies of MS securely packed inside a sidecar body that a friend had bought and hence cost me nothing!

I have used Motor Sport as my principle reference source and comfort for more years than I care to remember. Flicking back I find coffee and alcohol stains and food smears across road tests and race reports and can instantly recall when, where and why. Where ever I have lived my Motor Sports have always been there. Whatever the cover price, it's worth every penny.

Food Smears, Coffee Stains! Such Sacrilege! While I don't quite put on surgical gloves to open and read Motor Sport, I've always tried to treat it with the reverence it deserves. The collection runs from 1967 to date, with the odd gap when I was overseas or when I missed seeing it in the bookshops.

Unlike the Australian TNFers I had never had any great difficulty finding MS in New Zealand shops, price seemed reasonable over the years. I took out a subscription in the '90's but let it lapse about 1998, when the style and content went off and bought odd copies only for about 10 years, when content had improved again, and when, as a superannuitant, nostalgia took precedence over the current day. My 2 year sub is due to run out soon, maybe I will let it lapse again and see if there is a good offer for new subscribers! I can easily find the missed copies in a bookshop. That appeals to my Scottish heritage.

As a subscriber I've noticed that my copy does not have a bar code or price on the cover. Are there any other differences to the one son the nes stands?
"Gardeners' World" for example has added content for subscribers.

Food Smears, Coffee Stains! Such Sacrilege! While I don't quite put on surgical gloves to open and read Motor Sport, I've always tried to treat it with the reverence it deserves. The collection runs from 1967 to date, with the odd gap when I was overseas or when I missed seeing it in the bookshops.

Unlike the Australian TNFers I had never had any great difficulty finding MS in New Zealand shops, price seemed reasonable over the years. I took out a subscription in the '90's but let it lapse about 1998, when the style and content went off and bought odd copies only for about 10 years, when content had improved again, and when, as a superannuitant, nostalgia took precedence over the current day. My 2 year sub is due to run out soon, maybe I will let it lapse again and see if there is a good offer for new subscribers! I can easily find the missed copies in a bookshop. That appeals to my Scottish heritage.

Stu Buchanan

Okay, maybe a bit of poetic licence involved. I really treasure my early volumes. 1945 is carefully handled. Mind you, I make no apologies regarding the Johnny Walker Black Label marks that spread themselves over the Jim Clark obitury issue, there was just too much in the glass!

Just a question to someone who has the 50's DVD or the 1958 MotorSport magazines. Did they forget te report and I've searched more than once accurately the magazines of that year in my DVD. Was it common not to report race sin USA in the 50's, just a regrettable forgetting or my mistake in not seeing that?

As a subscriber I've noticed that my copy does not have a bar code or price on the cover. Are there any other differences to the one son the nes stands? "Gardeners' World" for example has hadded content for subscribers.

Odd the things one notices-just checked and the bar code dissapeared from my copy 3 months ago.I did notice something a couple of months ago when brousing at a bookstall that the copy on sale had an extra flap in front of the cover which I guess had the price details?

Odd the things one notices that I haven´t got any copy sinde April 24, and the my current subscription I´ve only recived the DVD and the Feb-March and May issues. The distribution system is dreadful here in Argentina: I think I wasted 120 pounds for the 2 years subscription.

Has anyone noticed any actual difference between the subscribers version and the news stand version? Othere mags like Gardeners' World have extra content and special offers for subscribers so if MS doesn't why are there two versions?

Has anyone noticed any actual difference between the subscribers version and the news stand version? Othere mags like Gardeners' World have extra content and special offers for subscribers so if MS doesn't why are there two versions?

Motor Sport's UK subscriptions department are exemplary, best I've come across by far. I've had direct debit renewal problems a couple of times, they were really helpful in sorting everything out, ensuring that I received missed issues etc, all e-mails seem to get a proper reply the same day too.

Gosh! all this praise for Motor Sport's subscriptions department! I just have to join in. As a 50-year regular reader but a new subscriber, I was (as mentioned in post #3814) mightily impressed that my first (August) issue arrived here in the Adelaide Hills on July 7. Now that has been smartly followed up by the promotional Motor Sport brolly which arrived just in time for another low pressure front and associated precipitation! And a jolly fine brolly it is.

Motor Sport's UK subscriptions department are exemplary, best I've come across by far. I've had direct debit renewal problems a couple of times, they were really helpful in sorting everything out, ensuring that I received missed issues etc, all e-mails seem to get a proper reply the same day too.

I concur.

I contacted them the other week as my current subscription was coming to an end and had a couple of queries. Emails answered promptly, without reading like a cut-and-paste job, and, when I called them on the blower, spoke to a thoroughly decent ol' boy.

I gave their subscriptions department a ring on Friday morning who were very apologetic and helpful, and a replacement copy arrived on Saturday morning, Special Delivery. Very impressed.

Thanks Hamish. I spoke to them yesterday, seems my two year subscription was up and the bank had cancelled the DD - the joys of Sanatander buying up all the banks I suppose!! Renewed my subscription for another two and a half years.

Despite being a long term reader I have kept very few copies so I wonder if soembody could check something please ? I am writing something for a club magazine which refers to WB and his legacy-I am right in recalling he did a series called 'cars in books' but was there also 'books lately'? I seem to recall that c in b was about passing references to cars in non motoring books whilst books lately was reviews of books about cars- yes ?

Hello John,
"Cars in Books" was just as you surmise - at least it was in the '60s volumes I have to hand, where it is a sub-section of a "Book reviews" page. The page seems to include, variously, brief reviews of books; "Books news" eg, publishing news, books in preparation etc and a few miscellaneous topics, as they arose.

I seem to remember WB reviewing books with aviation and motorcycle content too now and again (and possibly railways on occasion?) but I can't readily find anything to confirm that.

Hello John,"Cars in Books" was just as you surmise - at least it was in the '60s volumes I have to hand, where it is a sub-section of a "Book reviews" page. The page seems to include, variously, brief reviews of books; "Books news" eg, publishing news, books in preparation etc and a few miscellaneous topics, as they arose.

I seem to remember WB reviewing books with aviation and motorcycle content too now and again (and possibly railways on occasion?) but I can't readily find anything to confirm that.

I don't think "Cars in Books" was a review column. It was just a few snippets about cars that were referred to in books read by readers or magazine staff. the books could be novels, biographies or histories, in fact anything that was printed and accessible.

I must say I have been impressed with the level of service I have received. I have been buying the magazine faithfully every month for the over 5 years from a local book shop, and finally took the plunge to subscribe for what was an excellent rate, and with a bonus umbrella to further sweeten the deal. I have to admit I was a little nervous as to what to expect reading other's experiences over the years with regard to subscription delivery but I have not been disappointed, the issues are arriving promptly, in good condition ( I am fussy about this) and all correspondence with the subscriptions department has been promptly dealt with. Keep up the good work, I look forward to many more hours of fabulous reading.

Motorsport magazine is technically the weakest and politically the most biased racing magazine I know.

Their articles are technically completely unresearched, offer no technical information, and their editors are almost all biased towards their own subjective opinions.

Off the top of my head, NONE of the publications from 1991 to 1995 and 2003-2007 offer any technical knowledge that not all of the other publications carry (the best I know of is the Heinz Pruller publication, he carries technical info that NO other publication does.)

And as for subjectivity, I know that Nigel Roebuck is the most biased motorsports journalist I have ever come across. He slated Senna shen he was alive and continues to do so now. A gem is: "most people don't know that Bellof was catching them both (Prost and Senna) in Monaco '84."

Without ofcourse, mentioning that Bellof was driving an N/A car as opposed to near enough everyone else on Turbo's, including Prost and Senna. Some reporting.

For the single most biased piece of reporting (let alone motorsporting journalism) read the dec 1991 publication and "DJT"'s "contribution" to it.

That tone, personal bias, lack of insight and childish personal swipes are exemplary in 20 years of motorsports reporting and unfortunately have continued in spirit at Motorsports Magazine until today. I for one am glad I don't subscribe to it.